Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/423

 The Folklore of Shakespeare. 395

thou shalt not pass from thence," and afterwards he dismisses him :

" Descend to darkness and the burning lake : False fiend, avoid ! "

In Macbeth (iv. i) the apparition of an armed head raised by the witches' power, after having delivered his prophecy to Macbeth cries, " Dismiss me ; — enough," and then descends.

8. Dreams. s

When the people believed in dreams as portents a great dread of them naturally existed. Malicious spirits tor- mented their victims, but the sleepers were guarded by the possession of relics and amulets of various kinds.

Imogen prays to be relieved " from fairies and the tempters of the night" {Cyi/ibeline, ii. 2), and Banquo cries

^ ■ " Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that Nature

Gives way to in repose." Macbeth, ii. i.

Shylock thought that when he dreamed of his money misfortune would overtake him :

" There's some ill a-brewing towards my rest For I did dream of money bags to-night."

» J, Alerchant. ii. S-

Andromache says : ^

" My dreams will sure prove ominous to the day."

Troilus and Cressida, v. 3.

Mercutio makes merry over the dreams which Queen Mab mischievously put into the heads of those she visited and over the consequences thereof {Romeo and Juliet, i. 4).

Romeo himself rejoices over the good he hopes to attain by the reality of his dreams :

" My dreams presage some joyful news at hand."

" I dreamt my lady came and found me dead, (Strange dream ! that gives a dead man leave to think,) And breath'd such life with kisses in my lips, That I reviv'd, and was an emperor." R. and J. v. i.